1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to practice devices to improve golf putting mechanical skills and mental image visualization skills.
2. Description of Prior Art
Putting and short shots around the putting greens comprise nearly 60 percent of all the strokes taken in a round of golf. Through the years, various devices and methods for teaching people to become more proficient at putting, chipping, and pitching have been developed in an attempt to improve golfers skills and lower their scores. A search of the U.S. patent literature has disclosed a number of such aids, including the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,869,875 (Steenson, Jan. 20, 1959), discloses what is called a "golf practice game". This patent provides two "U" shaped wickets, which can be positioned apart from one another, and a cord or string is stretched between the two wickets at a location possibly several inches or a foot above the ground surface. This cord serves as an alignment guide for the person practicing the putt or possibly a short chip shot.
U.S. Pat No. 3,604,711 (Hansburg, Sep. 14, 1971), shows an upright post which may be secured in the putting green at the position of the ball, the post rigidly mounting a reel at its lower end which carries a cord or tape which may be extended and secured at the edge of the golf hole, the tape serving as an alignment guide for the golfer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,865 (Coombs and Anderson, Sep. 4, 1990), shows a pair of spaced rows of pegs which extend upwardly from an elongated, planar base, which are used as guide through which to aim a putted ball toward a hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,284 (Montgomery, Dec. 28, 1993), shows a putting device that has a pair of guide rods so that the person can align his or her putting stroke.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,326 (Hohl and Bidleman, Apr. 29, 1997), shows a system of stakes stuck into a putting green with a raised cord tied between the stake at the putting location and the stake placed at the putting cup. The golf ball is placed beneath the raised cord at the putting location, and the putting stroke is executed to putt the ball from the putting location (at least initially) along the target line, visually utilizing the initial portion of the cord for alignment of the putting stroke.